I have read four Kate Quinn novels and loved them all (The Rose Code, The Huntress, The Diamond Eye, The Alice Network) but I had never read anything by Janie Chang. I listened to The Phoenix Crown on Audible and enjoyed it, but it didn’t live up to the four books listed above. Here is my book review The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang.
San Fransisco 1906
There are four strong women in this story, all very unique. Three of them are fictional but modeled after real women of the era. The fourth is a historic figure named Alice Eastwood, an important botanist at the California Academy of Sciences. A women who led the way for other women scientists during an era where women were not successful or even allowed in scientific fields.
The other three women are an aspiring opera singer, an American born Chinese women and an artist who has disappeared. These three unlikely friends are pursuing passions, dreams, and destinies in the days leading up to the big San Francisco earthquake and subsequent devastating fire.
Gemma, who leaves New York under questionable circumstances, arrives in San Francisco hoping to find work in the chorus at the opera house. She quickly meets Henry Thornton, one of San Fransisco many millionaires and he becomes both her patron opening doors at the opera and her lover. But Gemma is flummoxed that her friend Nellie is not in San Fransisco to greet her as they had previously arranged.
Suling, works in her uncles laundry and helps her aunt in her brothel following the tragic death of her parents. Suling is engaged to wed a man she does not love, and is scheming to find her missing true love Reggie who has disappeared without a trace.
Not What it Seems
Soon Gemma and Suling will begin to suspect Henry Thornton is behind many nefarious antics. When the women realize that Nellie (Gemma’s best friend) and Reggie (Suling’s lover) are the same person, they band together to find her.
Thornton is the suspect in the disappearance of Nellie/Reggie, but just as the women, with the help of their friend Alice Eastwood are getting close to solving the mystery, the great San Francisco earthquake rocks everything and everyone. Suling risks her life to save Nellie/Reggie while Gemma and Alice are risking life and limb to save Alice’s life long work at the California Institute of Science. Fire is raging towards all of them, and in the rubble and smoke of the aftermath the women clearly see Henry Thornton for what he is – a liar and a murderer.
Book Review The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang
How will this wild adventure end? Who will survive to love again? Though not as well written or intriguing as most of Quinn’s work, the story kept me interested although the character development was a bit flat. I still enjoyed this book on audible and think most people would love it. I learned a lot about this era of San Francisco.
****Four stars for the Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang
Jen Ruiz is a travel blogger like me, who I have followed online for the past couple of years. Jen’s travel story is much different than ours, mostly in that she is single and in her thirties. But the basis of her book is about how she set out to travel once a month during the year she was about to turn 30. She documents how she pulled it off and how it changed her life. Here is my book review 12 Trips in 12 Months by Jen Ruiz.
As I Always Say
As I always say, full time travel is not for everyone. We began our travel life after retirement in our late fifties. Jen, like many young professionals, was struggling with career, relationships and searching for something…she found it with travel.
Success
Our standards for women, even today, scrutinizes those who haven’t achieved success by being a wife and mother. Despite Jen being a successful attorney, she felt unfulfilled with this pressure of society. When another relationship failed, she was left holding plane tickets and decided to go for it. Without much thought, she found herself solo in Greece. And so it began.
Learning Curve
The travel life has a pretty steep learning curve…don’t I know it. And for Jen she was solo and female which presents additional challenges. But despite a few mistakes, her Greek adventure gave her the confidence to set out on 12 trips in 12 months as I way to finish off her final year of her twenties.
And in fact, during that year she actually ended up taking 20 trips…using vacation, long weekends and most o her sick days. By the end of the year it was clear to Jen she wanted to walk away from her career and find a new life as a travel writer. And here she is today.
Inspiring
Jen’s journey may look different than what many people are searching for, but you can draw inspiration particularly in regards to the courage and introspection it takes to challenge yourself and live outside the box…something I have lived and loved successfully myself.
Book Review 12 Trips in 12 Months by Jen Ruiz
Thanks for reading this week’s book review 12 Trips in 12 Months by Jen Ruiz. Follow Jen @jenonajetplane
What a story. Short, easy to read non-fiction, yet engrossing and feels like a true crime novel. I was captivated. Here is my Book Review The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson
Birds of a Feather
Since I fancy myself an amateur birdwatcher, this book really captivated me with some of the history of the fashion rage of the 1800’s that made many birds extinct or nearly. This part of the story will make me even more keenly aware, as we bird watch endangered aviary around the world. Johnson takes the reader through historical accounts from Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace’s theory’s to climate change and extinction. This, side by side with a remarkable tale of one man’s obsession with feathers, fly-tying and obtaining rare and illegal bird skins.
Who is Edwin Rist
This is a true story, but so absurd it is hard to believe. Much of this book reminded me of The Art Thief by Michael Finkle which is also a true story of a brilliant yet deranged young man named Stephane Breitwieser who gets away with stealing art from museums for years.
Edwin Rist, the young man in the Feather Thief, is a brilliant, flutist and champion fly-tyer. Rist decides to break into the British Natural History Museum in Tring, where he single handedly steals nearly 300 birds from the rare and priceless bird collection. All in one night.
Why Steal Dead Birds?
Rist had become deeply engaged in the obsessive world of salmon fly-tyers, an industry of men who will pay significant dollars to obtain the feathers they covet for their art of fly-tying. Rist shamelessly steals the birds, sells the feathers and the skins of some of the rarest and oldest specimens on the planet. With no remorse.
Kirk W. Johnson will himself become obsessed with Rist and the heist and the pursuit of justice. Johnson will spend years researching the files, looking for the missing birds and eventually interviewing Rist himself. The culmination will be this bizarre story of this shocking crime and the man with singular obsession with feathers who gets away with the crime.
*****Five stars for The Feather Thief by Kirk W. Johnson.
Thank you for reading my Book Review The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson
In 1962, a family of Mi’kmaq Indigenous Canadians, on their annual summer trip from Nova Scotia to Maine to earn money picking berries, experience a family tragedy. The disappearance of the youngest child, four-year old Ruthie, will catapult the family and each member into a life of regret, sorry and hope. Here is my book review The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.
No Trace
A tiny girl disappears into thin air. Where has she gone? The search goes on for weeks. Distraught and losing hope, each member of the family handles the loss differently. They return to Nova Scotia, vowing never to work in Maine again.
But as the years go by, some of Ruthie’s siblings believe she is still alive. While one brother, who can’t forgive himself for taking his eyes off of her for one minute, spirals out of control in sorrow, addiction and personal demons.
Who Is Norma
Norma is growing up in an affluent family in Maine with a ridiculously overprotective mother, who smothers her with love and guilt. Norma’s father is distant and refuses to help Norma get out from under her mother’s watchful eye. Only her aunt understands and tries to help Norma deal with her mother’s burdensome love.
The Story Unfolds
It’s easy to guess at what is going to happen in this missing person story that pits a poor indigenous family against affluent white Americans. Nearly fifty years pass in this story, with an ending that is less than satisfying, and a plot with many flawed and unrealistic details.
Liked didn’t love though I learned some interesting things about the indigenous people of Nova Scotia. Thanks for reading my book review The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.
***Three stars for The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Kristin Hannah has become a powerhouse of strong female character novels, and her latest, The Women continues that theme. I have both loved and liked her work over the years, but my favorites have not always been her top sellers. For instance, I didn’t love The Four Winds (a huge success for her), but I really liked The Great Alone, not as popular as The Four Winds or The Nightingale. But all that said – I have a new favorite. Here is my book review The Women by Kristin Hannah.
1960’s
Hannah places the reader in the idyllic California community of Coronado, where we meet Frankie (Frances). Frankie and her brother Finn have grown up with conservative parents, and a patriotic, traditionalist father. The family is so proud of Finn when he heads off to serve in Vietnam. Frankie finds herself at loose ends after Finn is gone…wondering what is next for her? Her mother is pushing Frankie towards marriage but Frankie can’t see herself in that role.
At Finn’s going away party Frankie meets handsome Ry who ventures to say to Frankie a life changing sentence – “Women can be heroes too”.
Vietnam
Frankie impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corp. Her father is livid, her mother furious. And then, Finn is dead. The whole beautiful world comes tumbling down, and Frankie is off to Vietnam, not able to get out of her commitment; scarred, grief-stricken, naive.
The Women
This is a story about the women of Vietnam. The nameless, faceless heroes – forgotten. The nurses who made it possible for so many male soldiers to return home. The women who witnessed as much carnage, death, chaos and trauma as any man on the front. Hannah does a wonderful job pulling into focus this part of the Vietnam story that most people didn’t know then, and still don’t know today.
The Women by Kristin Hannah follows the lives of not only Frankie, but her friends Ethel and Barb, as each deals in her own way with the country they return to after their tour of duty. A country torn in two by war, politics and lack of respect for those who served.
Book Review The Women by Kristin Hannah
I really enjoyed this book, learned a lot, felt great empathy for the characters and loved the story line. One of my favorite Kristin Hannah books to date. Thanks for reading my book review The Women by Kristin Hannah. By the way, the Afterwards by the author was also intriguing so don’t skip that.
Want to read another great book about a different kind of female character navigating Vietnam in the early 60’s? I loved Absolution by Alice McDermott.
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I’ve been truly blessed with some astonishing wildlife encounters over the past eight years in our world travels. This past year has been particularly memorable, and I thought it would be good time to pull together a post about My Favorite Wildlife Encounters Around the World. I hope you enjoy it.
Leopard Tanzania
My Favorite Wildlife Encounters Around the World
When we started the Grand Adventure Travel Life, I didn’t really set out to discover incredible wildlife. It quickly became apparent however, that fascinating, new-to-us wildlife was going to be a big part of our travels. Wildlife in the jungles, forests and savannas. Birds in the air. Fish and mammals in the sea. Even insects, reptiles and crustaceans became a new fascination for these old folks – always ready to learn something new.
Elephant Family Etosha National Park Namibia
The wildlife encounters listed below are by no means the only ones…but they are some of my favorites. Some of these moments simply took my breath away. Gave me pause. Held me in rapture at nature in all her glory.
Australia
Australia. Oh my God. The land of never ending surprises. Of course there are kangaroos, wallabies and koala. There are also immense collections of bird life, reptiles and bugs. There are so many animals in the wild, and in fact it’s astonishing how many kangaroo get hit by cars. Australia blew our mind – and we are planning to return for our third visit in 2025.
Stork, Nelson Bay Australia
Mama Roo and Joey, Booderee National Park, Australia
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Namibia
When we first started talking about Namibia, I wasn’t even sure where it was (just north of South Africa). Our ten day tour in Namibia is still one of our favorite travel experiences. The elephant image below, is in my mind, the best photo I ever took. It was easy though…so much beauty everywhere we turned.
Black Rhino Etosha National Park Namibia
Lion King, Etosha National Park Namibia
Sunset Elephant, Etosha National Park Namibia
Uganda
To celebrate my 60th birthday we splurged on a Mountain Gorilla Trek in Uganda. Life changing. If you can make this happen once in your life, do it.
I’ve told this story before about how when I was a child we had a picture book with a tarsier on the glossy cover. I was terrified of that animal. Seeing it in the wild in Philippines was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. Tiny and harmless, I love these animals so much. We also had one of our best snorkel days in the Philippines…swimming with millions of sardines.
Teeny nocturnal Tarsier, Bohol Philippines
Snorkleing at Ningaloo Reef Panglao Philippines
Madagascar
Our most recent wildlife adventure was a ten-day private tour in Madagascar. I was mostly looking forward to seeing the baobab trees, and was hoping we would see a few lemurs. Oh my goodness. Lemurs and so much more. It was an absolute joy and I am so glad we did this tour.
Indri – the largest of all the Lemurs in Madagascar
Fascinating chameleons all over Madagascar
Sifika Lemur Madagascar
Botswana
Botswana was a quick visit while also visiting Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe. But our brief visit afforded us some fabulous wild life encounters including lots of hippopotamus in the Zambezi River.
Large male elephant, Chobi National Park Botswana
Curious giraffe, Chobi National Park Botswana
The hippopotamus is one of the most dangerous animals in the world
Papua New Guinea
I did not take this photo (Thank you Canva), but seeing the Bird of Paradise in Papua New Guinea was a dream come true. In fact, we saw several different species of Bird of Paradise, as well as multiple other very special and beautiful birds. Astounding.
Raggiana Bird of Paradise Papua New Guinea
Sri Lanka
We loved our visit to Sri Lanka, a country many people overlook. We started our three week visit with a six day tour, that included a visit to Yala National Park. Yala is home to a giant population of Asian Elephants. It was the most elephants in one place I had ever seen. We also had a wonderful up close and personal encounter with a beautiful and camouflaged leopard.
Beautiful leopard
Asian elephant, Yala National Park Sri Lanka
Borneo/Malaysia
I had always wanted to see the Orangutans, and so when we decided to spend a couple of months in Malaysia, I began to research how to spend a few days on the island of Borneo and visit the Sepilok Reserve. We did this four day visit without a tour guide, it was very easy to do. We loved the Sepilok Forest Edge Lodge and the fact we could walk to the Orangatan Reserve. AND seeing the incredible Proboscis Monkeys was an added bonus!
This orangutan just mosied past me on the walkway!
Funny looking and beautiful too – Proboscis Monkey
Mama and baby at the Sepilok Reserve
Costa Rica
Our three week visit to Costa Rica with our dear friends was one of the most memorable trips we have made. Not only did we get to see sloths for the first time, the turtles and bird life was spectacular.
Stand up Paddle Board and Sea Turtle spotting in Mal Pais Costa Rica
What a beauty, Fortuna Costa Rica
Sleeping Sloth, Fortuna Costa Rica
Honduras
We spent six weeks on the island of Roatan Honduras and I would definitely go back. There are several reserves set up on the island to protect and conserve remaining wildlife. I think our favorite moments though were spotting beautiful Red Macaws right near our condo and the giant and docile iguana
Macaws are the national bird of Honduras
The biggest iguana I have ever seen, Roatan Honduras
Iceland
We came for the scenery and the midnight sun, and we were not disappointed. Wildlife was a bonus and our favorite things were the wild reindeer and the beautiful puffins. I did not take this puffin photo (Thank you Canva), we were not this close, but Iceland did not disappoint and I encourage everyone to visit that incredible country.
Wild Reindeer, Iceland
Puffin (Canva)
New Zealand
We loved our seven week visit to New Zealand, although we loved it mostly for the beauty, scenery and hiking. We did not encounter much wildlife on this trip, but at the very end of our visit we stumbled on a biologist tagging Kiwi birds. Kiwi are incredibly shy and are rarely seen by visitors or locals. So to be able to meet this beautiful bird before she was released back into the brush was very special.
The sweet, shy Kiwi bird, national symbol of New Zealand
Galapagos/Ecuador
Although this trip was before we launched the Grand Adventure, our week touring the Galapagos Islands for my fiftieth birthday is one of our favorite memories of our travel life. Teeming with fascinating animals and bird life, it’s a memorable and once in a lifetime destination. Just go.
Galapagos land Iguana – he smiled at me!
Underwater delights, Galapagos
Blue Footed Boobies, Galapagos
Male Frigate bird showing off, Galapagos
USA
Of course, since I am an American, I have had many opportunities to see wildlife in my own big country. Montana is a favorite, Hawaii too, New England as well as my own great state of Washington where I spend my summers.
Sea Turtles are protected in Hawaii
Monk Seals are also protected in Hawaii – stay clear
Young Grizzly, Glacier National Park Montana
Porcupine in Maine
There is More
There is more…but I think these I’ve listed here remain some of my all time favorites. And I’m not done yet…we have lots more travel in our future, as we explore and show reverence to Mother Nature and the fascinating wildlife of our planet.
Lioness, Nambia
My Favorite Wildlife Encounters Around the World
Nature teaches us so much about the fragility of our world, and careful, sustainable travel provides so many opportunities to understand nature better. I have been so incredibly blessed to have had so many amazing up close and personal wildlife experiences – My Favorite Wildlife Encounters Around the World.
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Howler Monkey Costa Rica
NOTE : With this blog post I end year eight of our Grand Adventure. I will be taking several weeks, possibly a couple months, off from posting new blog material. We have fall travel planned, I’ll be back before that, but in the meantime, I want to be present here in the USA with my family. Thanks for your continued support – I’ll be back…
Sad but beautiful novel about grief and loss. Here is my book review After Annie by Anna Quindlen
Suddenly
Suddenly everything changed. Annie – wife, mother, friend, nurse. One day she is all of these things, and then she is gone. Annie’s sudden death from a brain aneurism will unravel those who loved and needed her most.
Family & Friends
A women like Annie, is the kind of person who you think will just always be there. Fierce and funny, despite an overbearing mother in law, Annie loves her husband Bill and her four children and the family is tight. Annie leaves behind oldest daughter Ali, whose own grief at the loss of her mom right in front of her eyes, is pushed aside as Ali struggles to care for her younger siblings, as her father unravels.
Annie’s lifelong friend Annemarie, a recovering addict, also begins to unravel after the loss of her friend, her rock. Annie was Annemarie’s lifeline, keeping her sober after several near death experiences. But with Annie gone Annemarie begins to find her grief is forcing her back to old habits.
Moving Forward
Ali, Bill and Annemarie will all suffer excruciating grief as they learn to grapple with the loss of this immense figure in their lives. But as the clock slowly ticks each will begin to move forward, by realizing how much strength Annie herself has gifted them before her death. They will grow and endure, just as Annie would want them to.
This is a story of hope, love, strength and finding understanding after profound change. This is what happened After Annie. ****Four stars for After Annie by Anna Quindlen.
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